Rick and Morty Anime Short Is Surprisingly Heartfelt

I found season four of Cartoon Network’s Rick and Morty to be a little inconsistent. There were some really great episodes, some mediocre episodes, and a finale that I found hooked me back in. My favorite Ricky and Morty content this year has actually been the shorts they have been putting out. The newest one, which was shared today, is an excellent anime short that actually made Rick and Morty’s relationship seem … sweet. I know, right?

The short is titled “Rick and Morty vs. the Genocider,” directed by Takeshi Sano, who did Cruncyroll’s Tower of God. In it, Morty has been left behind by Rick during a crisis where the Citadel is currently dealing with the Genocider, a being bouncing around dimensions killing Morties. They are, of course, trying to fish out Evil!Morty, the best character on the show. Morty has to go to Tokyo to find his Rick and help save the day.

Because it’s a non-canon short, a lot of the characters don’t really resemble their in-universe selves. Morty himself seems to have a shonen protagonist sense of whimsy, even as he travels on what looks like a flying boob with a butt? IDK, man. Anyway, without spoiling it, this version of Rick is absolutely OOC because he lovingly winks at Morty several times, but there is no burping. Considering how so much of this last season was Rick dealing with his ever-shifting place within his family, this was just a nice reminder that sometimes Rick does love them.

I love the Akira references that are all over the short. I feel like the writers have been watching more anime or something because this is one of several references to the genre (and specifically Akira) that have come up this season. It hits a lot of the marks of fun anime motifs, so even if you don’t like Rick and Morty, if you enjoy anime, it’s a fun experience.

Despite it taking place online, San Diego Comic-Con is still had a show this year, and during a panel appearance by series creator Dan Harmon, he shared that the fifth season of Ricky and Morty is currently being animated (yay), while the sixth is still in the writing stages. Right now, there is no air date, but when it does arrive, it’ll be on Adult Swim.

I have no doubt that Ricky and Morty is a hard show to create. There are so many expectations, realistic and otherwise, for the series that make it hard to review. Despite not loving every episode and having some issues with the fanbase around it, I do still really enjoy the show and the ambitious way it tells its story. I wish that it could just tell a story sometimes and not just troll, but at the same time, if it truly fully respected its audience, would it be an episode of Rick and Morty?

(via io9, image: Adult Swim/Screengrab)

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